Paz was born in Oviedo in 1974 and has master's degrees in piano and composition. He has conducted various contemporary music ensembles.

Ensemble Modern, one of the world's leading contemporary music groups, was founded in 1980 and has been based in Frankfurt since 1985; its nineteen musicians are from a wide variety of countries, including Argentina, France, Germany, India, Australia and Poland. The Ensemble Modern Orchestra (EMO) was founded in 1998 to focus on 20th- and 21st-century works for larger ensembles.

While de Paz will serve as assistant director, Ensemble Modern is governed by its musicians and has never had a music director or chief conductor.